WARREN'S PIECE: Senators talk about bus tragedy, Boucher talks up Sharks, the spotlight shines on rookies and visiting old friends

SAN JOSE — They were here to play hockey, of course, but before facing Erik Karlsson and the San Jose Sharks late Saturday night, the Ottawa Senators were well aware of Friday’s OC Transpo tragedy back home.

“I talked to my parents and my wife about it,” said alternate captain Mark Borowiecki, who regularly took the bus growing up in and around Kanata.

“It’s really sad. Ottawa is a small, tight-knit community, and when something tragic like this happens, it hits home pretty hard for us.

Just a terrible tragedy yesterday, my thoughts and prayers are with all the families and victims of the accident. #westboro#ottawa

DEALING WITH DEPTH: On paper, anyway, Saturday’s contest was a mismatch. Karlsson, whose franchise-record 14-game point streak ended Thursday against Vegas, is just one piece of a squad that entered Saturday on a five-game winning streak and with 35 goals in its past seven games.

Meanwhile, the makeshift Senators lineup featured big holes. The team was without its top centres, Matt Duchene (at home following the birth of his son, Beau) and Colin White (shoulder injury suffered Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings), along with No. 1 goaltender Craig Anderson (concussion) and top defenceman Thomas Chabot (shoulder).

There could be at least some good injury news on the horizon. Asked if there were any updates on Anderson and Chabot, Senators coach Guy Boucher offered up that “Chabot is doing terrific.”

RESPECTING THE OPPONENT: Maybe Boucher was banking on the Sharks being overconfident while facing his undermanned squad. Even with a two-game winning streak, the Senators entered the game ranked 28th in the 31-team circuit and he couldn’t stop praising the Sharks in his morning briefing with reporters.

“That’s the team of the hour in the NHL right now,” Boucher said. “They’re beating everybody. They’re looking great. You look at the video … I don’t see any flaws in any part of their game. It’s one of those teams and a hard team to beat at home.”

Boucher also opined that “their third line would be a first line on at least three-quarters of the teams in the league.”

CHALLENGING THE KIDS: As has been well-documented this week, it’s the first time that several of the Senators rookies have ever seen California, let alone played out here.

Defenceman Christian Jaros is one of them, naturally talking about the weather here as opposed to Ottawa, as well as the steady improvement in his game.

“The more I play, the better I feel,” he said. “I’m more comfortable, I have more confidence now. (Borowiecki) has helped me a lot.”

Borowiecki, who has become a steady defence partner for Jaros, says he’s even picking up a few Slovak words here and there.

“But you would be surprised the number of times I ask Jaros what this word is in Slovak and he says, ‘I don’t know,’ ” Borowiecki said. “So I’m truly questioning whether he really is from Slovakia.”

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: On the topic of rookies in the spotlight, there may never be a better opportunity for Nick Paul to showcase himself. With both Duchene and White out of the lineup, Paul is being given a healthy dose of minutes at both centre and the wing. “It’s nice that the coach is confident in putting me in any position, but I’ve got to use my shot a little more, instead of looking for a play, because I have a pretty good shot,” he said. On that topic, asked about the reaction to his franchise record-setting shot of 108.3 m.p.h. at the skills competition last week, Paul said he received some texts. “When I was growing up, I had a little street ball group by my house,” he said. “Those guys were saying, ‘No wonder those red balls left such huge bruises and big marks.’ It was kind of funny.”

SEEN AND HEARD ON THE ROAD: Before making his Senators debut Saturday, Darren Archibald had only worn the colours of the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL. “I had a little bit of nerves the first day I came in (to practice), but I’m starting to feel more comfortable as the days go on,” he said. “I’m pretty excited to put on some new threads tonight.” … TSN 1200 colour analyst Gord Wilson did the research: Archibald is the 14th player to make his Senators debut this season. … The guy in the restaurant beside me Friday was using a knife and fork to eat his grilled cheese sandwich. Yes, America does have problems. … Meanwhile, Senators defenceman Dylan DeMelo and centre Chris Tierney had dinner Friday with former Sharks teammate Joel Ward. “It was nice to see Wardo. He’s a really good human being, one of the best guys I’ve ever played with,” said DeMelo.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.